


Caught

by womeninthesequel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 5+1 Things, Childhood Friends, Christmas, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 19:17:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17106560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womeninthesequel/pseuds/womeninthesequel
Summary: Five Times the Potters Walked In On Teddy and Victoire (and One Time Teddy and Victoire Walked In On Them)





	Caught

**Author's Note:**

> So excited to have the chance to work with an incredibly talented artist to have some gorgeous artwork accompany this piece.
> 
> My gift to everyone is a little Christmas fluff! Let me know what you think and have a wonderful holiday season!

1\. 

It is Christmas Eve.

The combination of wanting to help and Ginny’s pregnancy-induced nesting impulses prompted Harry to come up with the brilliant idea of having Teddy and Victoire stay with them for the night.

Both Andromeda and Fleur looked at him like he had no idea of the scale of what he suggested. With a pair of knowingly raised brows, they were willing to bundle up their charges and send them with Harry. It would give them time to finish wrapping last minute gifts without worrying about prying eyes.

The kids came to the Potter house plenty of times to spend the night, so Harry wasn’t sure what they were so worried about. He and Ginny outlined a plan of decorating cookies and reading Christmas stories to keep them entertained. 

They felt confident.

It became clear within a few minutes of arriving, however, that Christmas Eve was not a normal night with two children in the house.

Small footsteps pattered down the hallway every hour or so, only to be quickly turned around by the creak of a bedroom door and heavier adult footsteps. At least four times, Ginny or Harry pushed themselves out of bed but didn’t even make it a few steps before whoever was out of their room fled back to shelter.

With no sound of rebellious footsteps for nearly two hours, Harry grows suspicious. 

He pads down the hallway to check on the status of the tree in their living room. The lights reflect off the windows and show the pile of gifts they sorted between chasing the kids back to bed. The cookies Teddy insisted on setting out have a few bites out of them to show that someone visited.

In a last check of the hallway, Harry notices that the door to Teddy’s room is cracked, letting a bar of light cast across the wall. Carefully, he pushes the door open slightly to see if his godson is where he’s supposed to be.

This time he is, but there is a tangle of blonde hair and blue pajamas with him.

Victoire is sprawled nearly on top of Teddy. Both of them are sleeping soundly and Harry doesn’t have the heart to return the girl to her bed next door.

Instead, he inches the door closed and turns the knob to soften the sound when it closes.

\--

2\. 

“C’mon, Vic, you need to relax.”

The blonde looks up from her book with a raised brow. “Excuse me?”

“It’s _Christmas break_ ,” Teddy says, attempting to swipe the textbook from her hands. “No studying allowed. Are you Hermione now?”

“No,” she answers stubbornly, tugging the book out of his range just in time. “I’m going to be prepared.”

“ _Ravenclaws_ ,” he grumbles while rising from his side of the couch onto his knees in the middle. 

Victoire curls her legs against her and pointedly goes back to reading her book.

Until she’s reading the same line over and over again without understanding because she can feel his breath on her hair. 

“Surely,” he starts, “your best friend is more interesting than _charms_.”

“Maybe you can help me with transfiguration later.” She holds the book up between them, as if it will block any of his further attempts to distract her.

Raising her arms, however, gives him the perfect opportunity to slip his arms around her and have the gall to _tickle_ her. 

She squirms and shrieks, immediately forgetting that they’re supposed to be quiet, and drops her book with a thud.

“Teddy? Vicky?”

Both of them untangle themselves quickly when a small voice comes from the hall doorway. Lily rubs her eye with a fist, the braid Victoire twisted into her hair for bed already falling apart. 

“What’s up, Lils?” Teddy says from beside her. He leans against Victoire’s shoulder and keeps his fingers threateningly close to her side.

Lily rubs her eye some more and hugs her stuffed niffler tighter. “I had a bad dream. Can I stay out here with you? Until Mum and Dad come home?”

“Of course,” Victoire answers immediately, shoving Teddy back to make more space between them. Almost every night where they babysit Lily ends with her snuggled against them, so it was only a matter of time. “There’s always room for you.”

\--

3\. 

When Teddy asks if he can borrow her kitchen to make a holiday surprise for his grandmother, Ginny can’t deny him.

She uses every cleaning spell she knows before he comes over, half-convinced that she might not _have_ a kitchen when he’s done. But what can she do other than say yes?

Teddy arrives only a minute or two late with Victoire in tow. They’re practically inseparable when they’re both home, so Ginny already has a second apron waiting for her.

It’s Teddy’s surprise, though, so Ginny makes herself scarce and tells them to yell if they need anything or manage to light the place on fire. 

An hour later, she has a nice stack of presents wrapped and new garlands wrapped around the bannisters of the staircase. She waves her wand to illuminate the string of muggle lights that will definitely make her father smile when he sees.

Perhaps she’s given them enough time to check in without being accused of hovering.

There’s powdered sugar in Teddy’s dark hair and smudged across his face. Victoire takes her hands out of the dough to flick something in his direction, which makes him duck and her launch into a series of giggles.

“How’s it going?” Ginny interjects from the sidelines with a knowing grin, leaning her hip against the counter.

Victoire’s flour-dusted cheeks flush when she faces her aunt. “Sorry for the mess.”

“We’ll take care of it before we leave,” Teddy adds, ruffling his hair to send the sugar flying.

“Of course,” Ginny answers, knowing when it’s best to leave two people alone. “Don’t get into too much trouble, kids.” 

\--

4\. 

For nearly five years, Albus has managed to keep his favorite reading spot a secret. His nook in the attic is the perfect place to claim some time for himself amid the chaos that is Christmas.

It’s a blissful fifteen minutes of no sound except for his pages turning… until he hears two people whispering back and forth.

Maybe it was only a matter of time before he was found out. It’s nearly impossible to keep anything a secret with James for a brother and Weasley cousins around every corner. Albus pulls his shoulders together and tries to look smaller. If they don’t find out that it’s supposed to be a secret, they might leave without incident.

The whispers stop, but some muffled sounds tell him the intruders haven’t left. Maybe they’re trying to keep something in a place they don’t think anyone will find.

“If you’re trying to hide a present,” Albus says into the air, revealing himself in a hope that it will make them drop their gift and run off to another place in the house. “It’s just me. I can -”

If Teddy’s quick move backward that made him nearly trip over his own feet didn’t give them away, the pink on Victoire’s cheek would have.

They all stare at each other for a few heavy seconds. 

“Hey, Al,” Teddy says to break the silence. He lifts a hand to ruffle his hair in the back like Albus has seen James Potter do in one of the photographs from the album his dad has of his grandparents. “Can you keep a secret?”

\--

5\. 

The door opens.

“Hey, Teddy,” a voice cuts across the silence of the house at night, “what are you - _Vic_?”

Victoire straightens, grabbing frantically at the blankets to cover the fact that her shirt is somewhere on the floor.

Teddy is the first to pull himself together enough to say something. “Get out, James!” he whisper-yells across the room.

James, of course, grins like he just won the Quidditch World Cup. “How did you convince Mum and Dad to let Victoire stay over? You’re going to see each other _tomorrow_ at the Burrow for presents.”

Thankfully, Teddy doesn’t justify him with a real answer and chucks a pillow across the room, which James dodges by using the door as a shield while he closes it. He leaves it cracked, though, probably knowing Victoire and Teddy aren’t in a state to be walking across the room to fix it before they’re entirely found out.

Victoire lets her forehead fall against Teddy’s chest with a sigh. They can already hear James’ voice calling down the staircase.

“ _Our_ Teddy and _our_ Victoire!”

\--

&.

The Potter house is basically his third home, so Teddy doesn’t even think about knocking. 

They’re not dropping by unexpectedly. A week ago, Ginny sent an owl, inviting them to meet to go to the station together. They’re going to meet the rest of the Potters when they get off the train to come back for Christmas break. They didn’t decide on an exact time, but they know Victoire and Teddy are coming.

So finding Victoire’s aunt pushed against the cabinet with his godfather’s hand under her shirt in the kitchen is something of a surprise.

Victoire startles and puts a hand on his arm. “Oi!” 

“Harry! Ginny!” Teddy calls, managing to find it both ridiculous and endearing that they’re acting like rebellious teenagers on a day they know they’re having visitors. 

The adults (since Teddy still firmly rejects that label for himself) jump apart. Harry swipes a useless hand over his hair, but it’s sticking out even more than usual. “‘Lo, you two,” he greets, clearly attempting the strategy of pretending nothing happened.

“Hello, Uncle Harry,” Victoire answers, voice flat. Teddy can assume that her eyes are wide. 

“Now you’ve gone and scarred my fiancée,” Teddy says, not quite willing to let them off the hook so easily.

“Don’t try that with me, Teddy Lupin,” Ginny replies quickly, tugging her shirt down and recovering very well, despite the blush across her cheeks. “I know about all of your -”

“Wait,” Harry interrupts, holding up a hand after (thankfully) pulling a Weasley sweater over his head. “Your _what_?”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr at women-inthe-sequel!


End file.
